


Little You & I

by liziscribbles



Series: Make Them Gold [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 'Cause they're kids and all, Alternate Universe - Horizon: Zero Dawn Fusion, Gen, Long Post-Apocalyptic World, Loqi is a jerk, Mention of Hunting Animals, NaNoWriMo 2018, Prom and Noct are innocent 8 year olds and Loqi is 12 years old, Shipping not prevalent until later on, the boys are kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 21:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16524962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/pseuds/liziscribbles
Summary: Prompto Argentum is a parentless outcast, thrown out of Insomnia and forced to live off the land.  One day, he meets Insomnian citizen (and son of their leader), Noctis Lucis Caelum.  Though Noctis is lawfully forbidden to talk to Prompto, he casts the laws aside and tries to befriend the outcast boy.{Multi-part Horizon: Zero Dawn Fusion AU}





	1. Chapter 1

The sun brightened the Lucian sky, warming every inch of the forest with its rays. Summertime meant it was at its hottest, but the nearby ocean air made the temperature pleasant and comfortable. Every now and then, a soft breeze shook the leaves, the rattling sound providing the perfect cover for quiet footsteps.

Eight-year-old Prompto Argentum used this to his advantage as he crouched and tiptoed through the tall grass toward his prey, a small family of boar which would make the perfect birthday dinner for Cor that night. Cor was at home, preparing vegetables and spices. He probably expected Prompto to come back with more berries, for a cake or a pie or something, but Prompto had other plans. All he needed was one, maybe two if he was feeling lucky enough. The grass rustled around him and the dirt crunched beneath his feet, but the wind was the perfect cover. Each time a gust blew, he moved a little bit further. When it stopped, he stopped. So far, the group of boar was none the wiser.

As soon as he was close enough to see one through the grass blades, he nocked an arrow and lifted the bow to right his aim. With the perfect shot lined up—right to the boar's head, so to not damage the meat—he loosed his first arrow and gave a satisfied smile when it hit its mark and the boar fell over. The rest of them quickly moved to scatter, but there was at least one more in Prompto's vision that he took down quickly.

He beamed bright and wide. Success.

As the rest of the boar scattered to the wind, their short legs trying to take them away quicker than they would actually allow, Prompto stepped out of the tall grass and unsheathed the small skinning knife he got from Cor for his eighth birthday. Using the technique that Cor taught him, he made quick work of skinning the boar, folding the pelt and putting it in his pack. Then, he cut out all the usable meat, wrapped it in cloth, and put it in another pouch. He moved to stand up straight, but before he could, an idea struck him as he looked at the boar's bones.

_How cool would it be if I made Cor a knife with this? I bet he'd love it!_

So, Prompto detached two of the boar's bones and rested them in his pack as well. The birthday present would be late, of course, but Cor wouldn't care. At least Prompto didn't think so. Cor was a stickler for tradition and the rules and all that stuff. Prompto hated it. Because of those dumb rules, most people wouldn't talk to him. Because of those rules, Prompto and Cor were forced to live out of the city, always alone, never to associate with all the people in Insomnia. As much of a stickler as Cor was for rules, though, he never seemed to care when Prompto did cool stuff for him, no matter when or what it was.

As Prompto moved to repeat the process on the second boar, he noticed a group of machines from the corner of his eye. There were a half a dozen chocobos—Prompto had always had a fondness for the birdlike machines, even if they would always run away on sight—and just catching a glimpse of them made him smile even wider.

It was a little strange, though. Prompto had watched chocobos before. In fact, sometimes he spent whole days sitting in trees or on cliffs watching them go about their business. In all the time he'd spent watching them, he'd never seen them quite so concentrated in such a small area. It was almost like they were protecting something.

Curiosity ended up getting the better of Prompto, as it often did. Once he shouldered his pack and rinsed his hands and arms in a nearby stream, he took back to the tall grass to get a closer look. The chocobos seemed to be stationary, standing in a small circle and focusing on something inside the area. It was one of those places Cor always forbade Prompto from entering. It was another one of those rule stickler things, and one of the ones Prompto hated the most.

_"No matter how sneaky you are, I don't want you going into machine-heavy areas, Prompto, do you understand me? I don't care how good you are with a bow, it's not safe."_

The only problem was... Prompto _was_ good with a bow. Really good, actually. He'd just killed two boars with no issue whatsoever, hadn't he? Plus, no matter how good or bad he was with a bow... it wouldn't matter at all if nothing saw him! He could get close enough to see what they were circling, couldn't he? Chocobos were tamer machines, anyway! Prompto had never actually seen them attack. Most of the time, they ran when they were startled, and they startled easily. So, what was the big deal if he went over there? The chocobos would run away, leaving him to figure out exactly what they were circling. Or maybe, if he was lucky, he could get close enough to observe it and figure out why _they_ were so fascinated with it.

Maybe an adult would have weighed their options, but Prompto was eight years old, and an incredibly curious child... especially when it came to the machines. They'd always held something of a strange allure to him, for reasons he wouldn't have even been able to explain if he was an adult.

Low to the ground he crouched, moving through the tall grass much the same as he had to stalk the boar. _Walk while the wind rustles, stop when it stops._

As he drew closer, he found himself accidentally taking a single step after the wind went quiet. One of the chocobos raised its head, making a metallic warking sound as it turned its neck to look around. Prompto froze immediately, so quickly that he almost lost his balance and fell over. He managed to stay standing, but watched with tense muscles as the chocobo looked left, right, then slowly turned back to its business. Breathing a sigh of relief, Prompto waited for the wind to rustle again, and started moving forward.

He made it a couple more crawling steps, before he heard a soft and strangled gasp from the middle of the chocobo circle. He froze again. That wasn't a sound that chocobos made, he realized. He'd been watching them for a couple years now, and he'd never heard anything that sounded like a _person_ before.

A couple seconds later, Prompto got even more suspicious when he actually heard _words_ coming from the center of the circle.

"Get away from us, you big dumb metal birds!" An older boy's voice echoed from the middle of the pile. He sounded like he was at least a teenager, and he also sounded really mad.

A second voice followed shortly thereafter, quieter than the first but no less panicked. "Shh, Loqi! You'll make 'em mad! What if they attack or something when they get mad?"

The first voice came back again with an annoyed scoff that Prompto could hear clearly. "What can they do? They're just big dumb birds. I've never seen a big dumb bird attack anyone, and besides, Uncle Iedolas says they won't hurt us. I'm just wondering why they're _staring_ at us with their _big stupid faces_!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the woods.

In the distance, Prompto noticed a couple more dangerous machines turning toward the sound, and he tensed again. Was this boy an idiot? Sure, chocobos were pretty harmless, but if the dualhorn a few hundred feet away noticed? They'd come over and trample both the chocobos and all three of them. Prompto realized the boy wasn't planning on quieting down, either. He still cursed the chocobos out, which was a little bit surprising to Prompto, who had always found the birds to be fascinating and wanted nothing more to get close enough to touch one.

Once again, the dualhorn turned toward the noise, and Prompto realized his time was running short. He could either help the people, or he could just leave. It didn't seem like the loud one really deserved to be helped, if he was so willing to put himself and his friend in danger. The other one hadn't done anything wrong, though. In fact, all he'd been doing was trying to get the older boy to quiet down. If nothing else, Prompto decided to help for his sake.

Quickly, he nocked another arrow and lifted his bow again. He couldn't bring himself to shoot any of the chocobos, since they hadn't really done anything wrong. He could shoot the ground, though. So, he did. He shot the ground a few inches behind the nearest chocobo's foot, and then ducked back down into the grass. The chocobos all jumped to attention, made a loud warking noise, and then scattered in different directions to run away. Prompto ducked his head down, begging them not to crash into him or the other boys, or alert the dualhorn in the distance.

The dualhorn seemed to notice, but opted to chase after one of the chocobos instead, and Prompto breathed a sigh of relief as he looked over at the two boys left in the aftermath.

One of the boys looked older, and Prompto assumed he was the one who'd been angrier. He cowered over, cradling his arm and shouting angrily after the chocobos, cursing them for "stepping on my damned arm." The second boy had darker hair, and he looked a lot more frightened by the situation than the older one did. He made himself small, holding his head and it looked like he was trying to disappear. Just by his size, he looked like he was closer to Prompto's age.

"Loqi, shhhh! We don't know what scared them, and-"

The older boy shushed the smaller one with a sharp hiss, and then snapped, "exactly! For all we know, someone or something out there's trying to kill _us_ , too! Whatever it was, it made those dumb birds almost break my arm! Are you just gonna hide there like a baby, or are you gonna help me find it?"

In a shaky voice, the boy answered, "okay. I'll help..." as he lifted his head and pushed himself to his feet.

Judging by their clothes—carefully crafted and much nicer than Prompto's own hand-crafted anak-leather clothing—they were from Insomnia. It occurred to Prompto that if they saw him, he might be in trouble. Outcasts like him weren't supposed to go near proper Insomnians. Prompto silently begged for a breeze to come so he could sneak through the grass again. Now, when he needed it most, none came. The air was still as Prompto had ever seen it before. As he crouched in the tall grass, begging for both boys to look in the other direction, his whole body was tense as his bowstring.

That was when he noticed the dark-haired boy plucking his arrow from the ground. The older boy was checking further away, looking up at the trees and out into the woods, but the darker haired boy looked Prompto's arrow over and then turned toward the tall grass. If Prompto didn't know better, he'd swear that the dark-haired boy was staring straight at him.

After a couple seconds of staring, the boy walked _into_ the grass patch.

Prompto froze again, tensing even further until he lost his balance and fell face first to the ground. He lay there for a little while more, willing the dark-haired boy not to notice the loud noise. It all proved fruitless, though. When he pushed himself up to his hands and knees, he noticed a pair of black boots in the center of his vision. Prompto looked up, and when the dark-haired boy came into focus, Prompto could feel his heart hammering in his throat.

At first, he didn't speak. He knew, most importantly, that the rules forbade him from speaking to Insomnians. If he spoke, he gave the boy reason to attack, or to report him to Insomnian leadership and have them come for him. He didn't know what they _did_ to outcasts who dared to speak to Insomnians, but he didn't want to find out. Instead, he stared wordlessly, blinking up at the dark-haired boy and silently begging him to just walk away. If he walked away, maybe they could just pretend that nothing had happened. The boy didn't look angry, though. Instead, he just looked at Prompto with inquisitive eyes, before holding his hand down to help Prompto up.

"Did you scare the chocobos away?" the dark-haired boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Prompto wondered why he was being so quiet, but he nodded in reply. If he just nodded, he wasn't speaking, so maybe they wouldn't come for him. Right? He accepted the boy's hand hesitantly and stood up.

Once the dark-haired boy dropped his hand back down to his side, Prompto watched as he lifted the other, offering the arrow out. "Is this yours?" he asked.

Again, Prompto simply nodded and took the arrow back.

The dark-haired boy looked over his shoulder, then turned back toward Prompto with his lower lip between his teeth. "If he sees you, he'll probably be real mad. I wanna thank you and stuff, because you definitely saved us even if he's mad because the chocobo stepped on his arm, but if he sees us talking or hears us, or finds out that you're the one who made the chocobos run, he'll-"

"You found it! Or him... whatever," the older boy's voice echoed out through the woods.

The dark-haired boy went quiet, almost like someone had flipped a switch or something. He clammed up and frowned, and his posture slumped just slightly. Prompto wondered exactly why that was, but he couldn't really make a big deal out of it. Especially not if it meant speaking aloud.

The older boy seemed not to hold the same qualms. "Wait a sec," he muttered, his voice mocking. "Those clothes... are you an outcast or something?"

Prompto still didn't dare speak aloud, especially not now that the boy had noticed him and his clothes. The older boy had similarly fashioned clothes to the dark-haired boy. They seemed to be similarly tailored, but they were designed and colored differently. Rather than black, his were mostly white. They were covered in dirt and grass stains, but they were still white.

When Prompto didn't answer, the older boy pushed the dark-haired boy out of the way and huffed in annoyance. "Guess you don't really need to answer me," he mocked. "Your clothes say more than enough, and at least you know your place."

"Loqi!" the dark-haired boy huffed. "You don't have to be a jerk!"

The older boy shrugged. "I'm not. That's just the way it is, and it's a good thing he knows it."

A silence—but a silence that said more than words could—blanketed the area around them, and Prompto frowned as he looked from the older boy to the dark-haired boy. The dark-haired boy seemed to have no problem talking to Prompto like a person. Why was it that he was willingly keeping company with someone so...

Before Prompto could even finish his thought, the older boy shoved his shoulder gently. "Seems to me you should get out of here now. You saved us, but it's not like you can really _talk_ to us, so..."

"We're not supposed to talk to him either, Loqi," the dark-haired boy pointed out in a soft tone. "But we both did."

The older boy—Loqi—shrugged. "Not like he can tell anyone. And even if he could, no one would believe him."

"They'd believe me, though..." the dark-haired boy pointed out. "When I tell them we talked to him, but he didn't say anything back? Then we'd get in trouble and-"

Loqi scoffed. "You wouldn't do something so dumb," he muttered.

"I will if you don't leave him alone."

Prompto was surprised by the kindness this strange dark-haired boy was showing him, but he still didn't speak up. As much as he wanted to—as much as he wanted to both thank the boy and tell Loqi that he wasn't scared—the rules that Cor had driven into his head since he was a baby wouldn't let him.

Loqi still seemed annoyed. Maybe even more annoyed now. "I don't get you. You're too scared of a bunch of chocobos hurting me, your _friend_ , but you'll act like a total idiot and stick up for someone you don't even know..."

The dark-haired boy didn't say anything.

"Maybe I can still make up for it and not get in trouble, though. If I tell my dad and your dad that I made sure the outcast didn't hurt you... if I, say... pushed him in that ruin over there..."

Before Prompto could even react, Loqi grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of the tall grass. Prompto was taken by surprise, and he managed to struggle a little in the other boy's grip, but the whole situation was still so much of a surprise to him that he couldn't really react beyond a little bit of a struggle. Before he knew it, Loqi had torn his pack off, and twisted him around so his arm was behind his back. He jerked Prompto's arm up so that it was twisted at an unnatural angle, and Prompto hissed in pain.

"Wow, he knows how to make noise!" Loqi laughed.

The dark-haired boy tugged on Loqi's opposite arm. "Stop it!" he told the older boy.

Loqi easily shoved the dark-haired boy away, and then the whole of his attention was on Prompto again. "He's just an outcast," he said to the dark-haired boy. "It's not like anyone will miss him!"

"Loqi, stop!"

Loqi didn't listen. While the dark-haired boy rushed up and tried to stop him again, Loqi walked Prompto toward the spot the pair had been cowering over before. Just beyond where they'd been, there was a large hole dug into the ground. Prompto couldn't see far, but where he could see, there were overgrown plants and with several rocks sticking out of the edges. Loqi planned to push him down here?

Prompto struggled harder, grunting a couple times and desperately trying to get Loqi to let him go, but the older boy was larger and much stronger than he was.

The dark-haired boy still tried to get him to stop, but Loqi seemed determined, and far too amused by the whole situation to listen. "If he begs me not to push him in, maybe I won't."

As much as Prompto didn't really want to be pushed into the hole, instincts warred in his head. Did he want to break the rules? If he did break the rules and Cor found out, how much trouble would he be in?

"Loqi, stop!" the dark-haired boy pleaded.

Survival instinct took over, and Prompto wriggled again, one last desperate attempt to get out of Loqi's grip, before he finally resigned himself to the fact that Loqi was too strong. If Prompto didn't do something, Loqi was going to shove him down into this hole and there was a pretty good chance he was going to either be hurt pretty badly or die.

Speaking so quietly that Prompto himself could barely even hear it, he spoke. "P-please… please don't push me in..." he whispered, his voice trembling.

"He _does_ know how to talk!" Loqi mocked.

"There!" the dark-haired boy insisted. "He did what you said! Let him go!"

At first, it looked almost like Loqi was going to listen. He paused, and though he still held Prompto solidly in place, he didn't say anything or do anything else for a few more seconds. "I said _maybe_ I'd let him go," he pointed out.

The dark-haired boy still fought back, and even though Prompto couldn't see his face, he could hear the anger in his voice. "Loqi! If you push him down there, he might die! That's why you and me didn't go down there, remember?"

"And if he dies, then there's no reason for either of us to tell your dad and my uncle that we talked to an outcast, right?" Loqi pointed out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

With a huff, the dark-haired boy desperately tugged on Loqi's shoulder. "So, you'll kill someone so you don't get in a _little_ bit of trouble?"

Loqi didn't say anything, just stepped a little closer. Prompto's feet were halfway off the edge of the hole, to the point that the only thing holding him up was Loqi's arm and the shaky balance of his own heels.

"Oh. Thanks for saving us, by the way," Loqi added as an afterthought as he jammed his knee into Prompto's knee, then shoved him, sending him toppling forward into the gaping hole.

As Prompto fell, all he could hear was the desperate sound of the dark-haired boy's exclamations of shock. It wasn't long before those exclamations faded, and Prompto heard nothing but the wind whipping around him as he fell down...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNoWriMo is here, and with it comes a super long story! The story's gonna be told in parts. As I have it outlined, there will be 27 parts, with 2-5 chapters each. So, I'll be posting the fic in 2-5 chapter chunks, at the end of each part! With that in mind, I'm about 99.9% sure this will go on way beyond November, so brace yourselves, friends!
> 
> With that said, I'm really excited about this! I've been plotting it and working things out for a couple months now, so I'm glad to finally be able to share it with you!
> 
> Thanks to Chellie and Lacie for helping me plot stuff out, and to every single one of my friends for encouraging me out of my writing slump! Just in time for NaNoWriMo! ♥


	2. Chapter 2

Noctis stood on his hands and knees at the edge of the hole. No matter how hard he looked, he saw nothing but blackness. The hole was so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom. In fact, visibility faded about three or four feet down. There were scraggly roots sticking out from between the rocks and dirt, and Noctis could only hope that the blond boy managed to catch one of those. He must have, Noctis realized, because he hadn't heard the loud impact sound yet. Unless... unless the hole was just that deep. Noctis swallowed. If it was, there was no way the blond boy would survive a fall that far.

"Loqi, what the... how could... why would you do that?!"

It didn't seem like Loqi cared much one way or the other. He just shrugged and turned away from the hole, crouching down and picking the boy's pack up from the ground. "I just did. One less outcast is way better than us getting in trouble for _talking_ to one, isn't it?" he asked as he unhooked the top of the pack.

Stuff like that was exactly why Noctis hated having to hang out with Loqi. Sometimes, it seemed like Loqi and Iedolas didn't value human lives the same way Noctis and his dad did. Iedolas had been trying, for years, to convince Noctis' dad that people should just be killed instead of cast out. Noctis, on the other hand, thought the whole 'cast someone out just because they don't fit in' thing was stupid. If not fitting in was a good enough reason for people to be cast out, Noctis should've been cast out a long time ago. He hated the stupid tribe and their stupid laws and stupid reasons not to like people.

Noctis knew his dad _wanted_ change, but Insomnians didn't really want it, and fought back every time his dad tried to change anything, so it was an annoyingly slow process.

It didn't matter at the moment, though. All that mattered was the fact that Loqi was rifling through the blond boy's bag, and curling his lip in disgust. "A pelt, some meat, and a couple bones. Seriously? He didn't even have anything worthwhile in here!"

As if pushing the boy into the hole wasn't bad enough, now Loqi was rifling through his stuff and calling it 'not worth it.' Noctis felt an angry fire burning in his stomach, and before he could stop himself, he'd rushed up to Loqi and snatched the bag away. While Loqi was still standing there stunned, Noctis closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"What the _hell_ , Caelum?"

Noctis scoffed. " _I'm_ the one who gets to ask _you_ that!" he snapped. As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder, then took a step backward toward the hole in the ground. "If I tell my dad what happened, you'll be in _so_ much trouble! I bet you and your uncle won't even be allowed to come back to Lucis! I bet he'll have you arrested or something! What if I decided to do that?"

At first, Loqi didn't seem to have a response prepared. He just blinked, like he was still shocked by Noctis' sudden willingness to stand up to him. It made sense. For a long time, Noctis was too scared of Loqi to make his opinion known. He went along with things that he'd never have done in a million years, broken rules that he'd never have been willing to break on his own... all because Loqi was older than him and he was scared to say no. If Noctis could see past his own anger, he'd probably have admitted that he was _still_ scared. Apparently, he'd found his limit.

"Well, for one, you wouldn't, because then you'd have to admit to your dad that you talked to an outcast," Loqi finally responded, in a mocking tone, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

With a shrug, Noctis announced, "I don't care, actually. I'm still gonna do that! Yeah, dad'll be mad, and maybe I'll get in trouble, but I'd rather have that happen than _maybe kill someone_!" His angry voice echoed out around them as he took another step backward toward the hole. His plan was forming in his mind, even as he spoke.

Loqi looked frustrated at first, until it seemed like a switch flicked in his head, and he realized that Noctis was backing toward the ledge. "C'mon, Caelum, don't do anything stupid, alright? I go back without you, and then I'm in _serious_ trouble. We're talkin'... even Uncle Iedolas gets mad at me, trouble. Let's just go back to Insomnia and-"

"No!" Noctis snapped, taking another step backward. His feet were right on the edge of the ledge now, and just the thought and concept almost made him lose his balance. Falling when he couldn't see would ruin his plan.

"Caelum-"

Noctis shook his head hard, and held his hands out in front of him. "I'm tired of always doing what you say, Loqi! I don't care if you're older than me! That doesn't mean you get to make the rules! You're mean and I don't want to be mean like you. I'm gonna go down there and I'm gonna help that boy." Not 'outcast.' Just 'boy.' Because there should have been no difference, and to Noctis, there wasn't.

With a giant huff, Loqi rolled his eyes and looked at Noctis incredulously. "So, you're meaning to tell me that you're willing to jump into a deep, dark hole just to save some dumb outcast, putting both yourself _and_ me in danger?"

Noctis nodded.

"Well, I'm not coming with you."

 _Good, I didn't want you to,_ Noctis thought.

"And I'm _also_ not gonna come down and save you."

Partially to spite Loqi, Noctis say anything in reply. He knew Loqi well enough to know what he was doing, though. Loqi didn't think he'd actually do it. He was standing there, expecting Noctis to chicken out; to run home to his dad, and to agree to go along with whatever plan Loqi came up with to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Most of the time, that was exactly what happened, but not today.

"Go home, Loqi. Make sure you don't get in trouble," Noctis simply commanded, before turning around and looking down into the hole.

Without another word, Noctis jumped. He didn't jump far; far enough to avoid the rocks he could see, but not so far that he couldn't grab one of the roots to slow his descent. As he fell, he heard Loqi calling after him, calling him crazy and stupid. Noctis tuned it out as he grabbed for a nearby root and held on as tightly as he could, sliding about two feet down the long and tangling stem. It ripped through the dirt, and the friction burned his hands causing him to hiss loudly, but both Noctis and the root still held strong, keeping him from falling any further. There was a rock a couple feet below him, so he dropped down to it and crawled to the edge, seeking another safe way to get further down.

Loqi still taunted him.

Another root stretched down, just within his grasp, and he reached for it, but his balance betrayed him. Off the rock he toppled, and he barely managed to grab the second root. The speed of his fall made him swing right into a rock, then lose his grip completely and fall the rest of the way down to the ground.

Fortunately, the fall wasn't too much further. He landed with a thud, on top of the blond boy's backpack, and the wind was knocked clean out of him. As he tried desperately to catch his breath, he opened his eyes and looked upward. The light from above almost blinded him, so he looked around his direct area as he tried to catch his breath. No sign of the blond boy anywhere. Where could he have gone?

He couldn't take too long, or the blond boy would be too far away to catch. He just needed a second to assess the damage. His chest hurt from hitting the rock, his hands burned from sliding down the root, and his bones felt a little bit rattled from impact, but otherwise... he was okay.

Unfortunately, he only got to feel that comfort for a couple seconds. Beside him, a loud thud of impact scared him, and made him shoot up to a seated position. His head darted in that direction, and he half-expected to discover that Loqi had decided to follow him after all. Luckily, it wasn't the case. What he _did_ see was surprising for more than one reason. Next to him, looking down at him in surprise and concern, was the blond boy. Somehow, he'd managed to recover from being pushed into the pit, and slow himself to the point that he made it down _after_ Noctis, who started a minute or two after him!

"H-how'd you do that?" Noctis rasped, his voice struggling as he tried to bring air back into his lungs.

The blond boy opened his mouth to answer, but just as quickly, he stopped and clamped his mouth shut. Noctis frowned. That rule was so stupid. What did it matter where someone lived; whether they lived inside Insomnia or outside? He was allowed to talk to Loqi, who was a terrible person no matter where he came from, but he wasn't allowed to talk to this boy? As far as he knew, the blond boy hadn't done anything wrong. Even if he had, he'd helped Noctis and Loqi out a little while ago. Whether or not the chocobo machines would have attacked, they wouldn't have moved anytime soon without the boy's help... and, as embarrassed as Noctis was to admit it, it had been a scary situation.

"You can talk to me, it's okay."

Again, the blond boy hesitated. It made sense. What reason did he have to trust Noctis after what Loqi had just done? Noctis would just have to try harder. "I'm just curious, 'cause I fell down like, way after you... y'know... got pushed. So I thought you'd already be down here, and-"

In a soft voice, which still echoed through the empty space around them, the blond boy answered, "I grabbed a root and climbed down."

Climbed. That made a lot more sense than trying to jump from rock to rock. "I grabbed a root too, but I tried to jump down from a rock to another root and then I fell. I'm not a good climber. Too impatient," Noctis admitted, his cheeks heating up with an embarrassed flush. There was a question on the tip of his tongue about why the boy didn't climb back up, but Noctis figured it had to do with Loqi.

The blond boy didn't answer, obviously still hesitant to trust Noctis. Instead, he just looked at Noctis like he wasn't sure if he should be wary of the conversation or just go with it. As sad as it made Noctis, he understood. He'd have to earn the boy's trust.

"I'm Noctis," Noctis introduced himself.

Though his voice was still quiet, the boy answered, "Prompto."

After a couple more seconds, Noctis picked himself up off the ground and looked around. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I dunno," Prompto answered, following Noctis' eyes to their metal surroundings.

It was dark, and a little bit chilly. As he cast his eyes around, he was a little bit surprised to see that they weren't standing in some kind of underground rock cave like he'd initially thought. There were rocks that had broken out of the walls and the floors in various places, and overgrown tree trunks and roots along the walls, but it was mostly metal. They seemed to have fallen into some kind of metal enclosure. There were several doors and a couple of open windows—maybe they were windows? Noctis wasn't sure—around them. Did someone live here? If they did, how did they get to and from their house?

"It looks old, though..." Prompto's voice, though quiet, echoed through the metal chamber. "And I don't think we can climb back up to get out."

Noctis nodded. The hole they fell through was in the ceiling, and there was no easy way to climb up. Not unless there was a rope in Prompto's pack. "Oh, right," Noctis remembered. He unshouldered Prompto's pack and handed it over. "I took this back from Loqi. I, um... I'm sorry. I... I tried to stop him, and..."

For a few seconds, Prompto just stared at the pack. Noctis could barely see his face in the darkness, but he watched as Prompto's head turned from the pack where it hung from Noctis' grasp, up to look at his face. "It's... it's okay. You did try to stop him."

"Yeah."

Prompto looked back up, squinting against the sunlight pouring from the hole over their heads. "Why didn't he come with you?"

Noctis shrugged. "He got mad at me, and I think he's going back to Lucis to tell on me for talking to you," he admitted with a halfhearted chuckle.

"Why _are_ you talking to me?" Prompto asked. "You'll get in trouble, won't you?"

Noctis shrugged again. "I don't care. I hate that rule. It's dumb. I'm allowed to talk to Loqi, but he's not from Lucis, and he's not a nice person. I don't know you, but you don't seem mean. So... why shouldn't I be allowed to talk to you?"

It seemed like Prompto was taken off guard. He looked down at the metal floor for a few seconds, pondering something to himself, before shouldering his pack and looking back up at Noctis. "I'm gonna look around. You... you can come with me if you want. Maybe we can find a way out of here so you can go home," he suggested.

With a nod, Noctis put his hands into his pockets and said, "I'll come with you. Better than just waiting here, hoping someone will come save me."

Prompto laughed, though Noctis thought maybe it wasn't a real laugh. "Good idea. Can't count on people to come find you," he pointed out, his voice a little sharper than it had been up to this point. Quickly, he trained it back to normal. "B-but... I bet maybe more people would come looking for you than me."

The very second Prompto finished speaking, he flinched, like he surprised himself with his words. A heavy silence coated them after that, during which Noctis wondered if maybe Prompto even _had_ anyone to come save him. Was he just living out here alone, with no one to protect him? No parents, no friends? He looked like he was about the same age as Noctis, just a kid, so was he forced to just... live by himself?

"Do you live out here alone?" Noctis asked, finally breaking the silence.

Prompto shook his head. "I live with Cor. He's my... I'm his... I mean... he's... he uh... takes care of me."

"So, he's your dad?"

"My... my dad? Um... no. No. I don't think so, anyway. He's never said so..." Prompto answered, then trailed off for a second, before continuing. "He just... he takes care of me. And I live with him."

That was a little weird, Noctis thought. Prompto didn't know whether this Cor person was his dad or not, he just lived there and the guy just took care of him? To Noctis, that sounded a lot like a dad. That was what dads did, wasn't it? Take care of their sons? Maybe it was a little different for outcasts, since a lot of them were cast out alone and had no one else in the world. The thought made Noctis all the sadder.

"Wouldn't Cor come look for you?" Noctis asked.

Prompto paused, then shrugged. "Probably, yeah. But he wouldn't look in here. I'm not s'posed to go where there's lots of machines, but..."

Noctis could tell what the end of that sentence was. Prompto wasn't supposed to go where there were lots of machines, but he had... to make sure Noctis and Loqi got out of the situation they'd gotten themselves into. And look where that got him. Noctis frowned, murmured an apology, and looked down at the ground beneath his feet as he walked.

"S'okay," Prompto answered, his voice quiet. "I'm used to it."

How many times had this happened before, if Prompto was used to it already? How many times had he saved someone, only to have them turn against him just because he was an outcast? Had anyone ever done the right thing and just _thanked_ him? Had anyone said 'who cares about the rules,' and been grateful for the help? If they hadn't... well, that wasn't fair, and Noctis was glad to be the one to throw that trend out the window.

As they navigated the metallic structure, Prompto glanced over his shoulder at Noctis, and for a second, it looked like he was going to say something. It seemed like he thought better of it, because he quickly turned back forward, practically snapping his neck to look away from Noctis. Then, he tried to look casual, like he'd just been looking around when he caught Noctis' eye. It made Noctis all the sadder. No one deserved to be so scared to talk to another human being, and it was all just because of some dumb rule that his dad didn't even really _want_ to enforce.

"What's up?" Noctis asked.

Prompto flinched, looking a little ashamed to have been caught. "I... I just wanted to ask you a question. If it's okay?"

Noctis nodded, smiling and trying to make Prompto a little more comfortable.

"W-well, um..." Prompto started. "I was just wondering, y'know. Why were you guys out here? Most Insomnians don't leave the city, unless it's their job … "

Oh. That. Noctis picked up his step to close the distance between them, and walked beside Prompto instead of behind him. "It's dumb," he admitted with an embarrassed laugh. "Loqi said his uncle said there were ruins out here where we could find cool stuff to sell. Ancient One ruins with all kinds of cool stuff. He wants money so he can buy a new coat and a new knife or something, and he said if I helped him get stuff I could have half. I'm pretty sure he was lying and he wasn't gonna give me any of the money, but I just wanted to see the ruins, y'know? I've never seen one before, so I don't even know what they look like, but I've gotta imagine it'd be cool."

Prompto seemed interested. Noctis could see his eyes lighting up, even in the darkness of the metal corridor they walked down. "I've always wondered what an Ancient Ones ruin looked like," he admitted. "Cor says I'm not allowed to look for 'em though."

Noctis nodded. "My dad said the same. I don't think I'm s'posed to even be out here right now, but Loqi told my dad that we were just gonna go camping, and my dad believed him." Sometimes, Noctis wondered why his dad ever believed Loqi. It wasn't like anything Loqi ever said was a full truth.

"I dunno what the big deal is," Prompto admitted. "It's just a bunch of old stuff that we won't know how to use."

Noctis nodded. "Exactly! But maybe we could learn, and wouldn't that be cool? Learning how to use Ancient Ones stuff and learning more about them?" he asked eagerly, turning to look at Prompto.

Whatever Noctis expected as a response, a wide-eyed smile and nod was not it, but it seemed like Prompto was finally getting a little more comfortable with Noctis. At the very least, he was comfortable enough to smile and show that he was interested in what Noctis was saying.

"There's so much stuff I've always wondered," Prompto admitted. "And there's enough out there, like their old buildings and the ruins of their old roads and stuff—at least that's what Cor thinks they are—that makes me wonder more! Imagine all the answers we could get from ruins! Or even all the questions! It makes me so mad that we can't... that we..." He trailed off abruptly, and just as abruptly, he grabbed Noctis' arm to stop him from walking any further.

As Noctis blinked, trying to figure out exactly what Prompto was doing, Prompto murmured, "l-look. Look at... that!" and pointed in front of them.

Noctis' glance followed the direction Prompto pointed, and suddenly he understood exactly why Prompto trailed off like he had. Right before them was a drop-off to a large and open room which looked like it was filled with ancient relics and long-since-deactivated panels. Things Noctis had never seen before in his life. There was a strange table in the middle, with even _more_ strange looking panels and relics on it, and several rooms off to the sides. All Noctis could do was stare blankly. Sure, he was only eight, but never in his short life had he _ever_ seen something like this before! It looked run down, like it hadn't been touched in a really long time, but it was all so new and fascinating to Noctis that he barely noticed that part.

"Do you think this is..." Prompto started.

Noctis didn't need him to finish, though. They'd just been talking about it after all. And while there was no way he could know the answer for sure... "There's only one way to find out!"

They exchanged a smile and a nod, and then they jumped down the drop-off together.


	3. Chapter 3

"Whoa, look at all the different stuff!" Prompto marveled as he ran his fingers along a large counter.

The walls were lined with weird looking metal panels, some of which were rusted over, and some which were etched with strange runes. It looked like some of the glimpses Prompto had caught of Ancient Ones language. Some of them looked _pretty_ close to modern language, to the point that maybe, if Prompto was a little bit older and a little bit smarter, he'd be able to decode them. For now, they remained a mystery. Honestly, it didn't matter. They were still the coolest things he'd ever seen.

To his right, Noctis stood and looked up at one of the weird panels. It looked almost like a framed drawing that hung just off the wall, but whatever was in the frame had long-since faded away, and it wasn't showing anything but a blank image anymore. Prompto couldn't understand any of the etchings, not that it would have mattered to begin with, of course. A small part of him wondered what they could possibly mean, but the rest of him was too amazed by how cool everything looked. The longer he was here, the more he started to suspect it was _actually_ an Ancient Ones ruin. He couldn't really be sure, but there was just enough evidence to lead him down that road.

Noctis, as though confirming Prompto's suspicion, asked, "do you think... do you think this could possibly be..." he asked again.

"Maybe," Prompto answered as he moved down the counter. "I wish I could read their language, y'know? Then I could know for sure."

Nodding, Noctis crossed the room and glanced into one of the only open doors. "Whatever it is, though... I gotta admit, it's pretty cool. All this mysterious stuff and the fact that this whole place is underground? And the metal and the tables..." he explained, crouching down to look at a decomposed wooden box, filled with strange and mysterious items on the floor. Some of it looked like glass, but it didn't look to be sharp or dangerous like glass. A lot of it looked like useless metal scraps, and Prompto found himself wondering what it could have possibly been to an Ancient One.

"I think it is," Noctis continued, a few seconds later. "I think it's a ruin, I mean. 'Cause I don't know what any of this stuff is, but... but it was in a box like whoever had it was trying to save it or something? Plus, this is where Loqi said the ruin we were looking for was."

Prompto nodded. "I at least think some Ancient Ones lived here once. There's a lot of stuff etched around the—displays? Whatever these are—on the walls that looks like it was done in Ancient One language," he explained, pointing at the one closest to him. "I've seen some Ancient One language on signs, so that's all I can really compare it to. I just wish I could understand it, to tell us more."

"Well, there's gotta be more than the etchings with the language on it, right? Maybe something's still in one piece and works enough for us to learn more?" Noctis stood up after gathering some wires from the box he'd been searching, and tugged on a drawer on the metal counter. He tugged again, grunting as he did, then huffed. "Stuck."

While Noctis tugged on the drawer, Prompto looked around the room for something he could use to pry it open. The room was filled with a bunch of different types of metal, and he saw a whole bunch of things he could possibly use to help Noctis out. As if it was placed there just for him, Prompto smiled when he saw a long metal rod sitting on the floor next to the counter. He crouched down and picked it up, then stopped Noctis from tugging the drawer open. He placed the end of the metal pole in the crack under the drawer and put as much of his weight as he could into pushing down on it and trying to pry the drawer open.

He huffed and grunted, but the drawer didn't budge at first. After a few seconds, Noctis joined him, putting his own weight further back on the pole and helping him push. It took a few more tries, before the drawer finally loosened a little bit. Rust fell off like an orange-red snow, and the drawer let off a crack that echoed throughout the metal chamber as the rust separated. It startled both boys enough for both of them to let go of the metal pole and send it dropping to the ground with a metallic clang.

When the surprise wore off, Prompto found excitement rapidly replacing it. He snapped back to attention, reaching for the drawer and giving it another tug. It was still stuck. Rust had probably formed all the way to the back. As stuck as it was, it was still moving, and though it took a lot of effort and help from Noctis, they managed to loose the drawer from the counter. The boys, the drawer, and the contents all fell to the floor; rust mixed with whatever was inside the drawer rained down over them from above. Prompto covered his head, and a quick glance showed Noctis doing the same.

After what seemed like forever, things stopped falling. Prompto slowly uncovered his head and looked around them at everything that had fallen to the floor. A lot of it looked broken, ruined, degraded to the point that he couldn't even identify any of it anymore. Some pieces of parchment had scribbles of Ancient Ones writing on them, but even if Prompto could read the language, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to understand them. The writing was faded, and the parchment itself was falling apart to the point that he was almost afraid to pick it up.

So, he didn't. Instead, he looked around at some of the other things that had fallen. It was all strange trinkets, things that had no meaning to Prompto, but he wondered what they meant to the Ancient Ones. He picked up a small, sharpened piece of wood with what looked like a dark rock at the end and rubber at the other end, and turned it over in his hand. The Ancient Ones had etched words into it, and he examined it for a few seconds, wondering what it was for.

"What's that?" Noctis asked.

Prompto shrugged as he poked the rock end down onto a nearby piece of parchment. He was surprised when he pulled the artifact back, and there was a black dot where the rock had touched the parchment. "I don't know, but I think... maybe they used it for writing?" he asked no one in particular.

While Noctis watched him closely, Prompto examined the artifact again, then turned it around and brushed the rubber end over the dot on the parchment. He blinked in amazement when the dot disappeared. After a sharp gasp, he pulled the artifact back and examined it closely. "This end writes, and this end makes it disappear. That's... awesome!"

"Whoa," Noctis whispered in response. "Way better than using a quill. Especially one of the dumb ones with a feather."

Prompto laughed softly, then turned the artifact over in his hand. "You want it?" he asked, offering it to Noctis. "You prob'ly write a lot more than me."

Noctis stared for a second, then flicked his eyes up to look at Prompto, nodding and accepting the artifact. "Sure! I'll have to hide it from my dad, since he'll prob'ly get mad if he finds out I'm here, but... I can hide it in my room. Thanks!" He smiled and slid the artifact into one of the pockets of his coat.

It was strange. Noctis seemed really happy to get such a weird and random gift, especially since it was an artifact that neither of them even really seemed to understand. He lived in Insomnia. Weren't presents more common in places like that, because it was so much easier to get stuff that _made_ good presents? Sure, Noctis mentioned wanting to go into ruins and everything, but it was just a weird and random artifact that he'd just have to _hide_! Noctis was weird, Prompto decided. Nice, and kind of fun to hang around with, but weird. Instead of focusing on that, Prompto decided to turn his attention back to searching the area around him for anything interesting.

And that was when he saw it.

Sitting a foot or so to his right, Prompto spotted a small, triangular piece of metal with a green spot in the center and a weird black hoop hanging from the back of it. He eyed it briefly, before reaching over and taking it in his hand. It was light, for a small piece of metal. The black hoop was soft, and had a sort of spring to it.

At first, Prompto had no idea what to do with it, other than to hold it in his hand and examine it. It was light and small, and Prompto worried that if he held it the wrong way he might break it. Whatever it was though, it looked interesting. Prompto cast his eyes over to Noctis, who was looking at some of the other things scattered across the floor, and then back at the small device. How did he use it? What was it _for_? He hummed quietly to himself, before flicking the hoop part against his finger. It looked like it was supposed to hook somewhere, but there was nothing in the area to hook it to. Had the hook part been destroyed?

At that moment, a strange feeling overcame him, almost like there was a piece of knowledge inside him; something he couldn't possibly know. That voice, whatever it was, told him to hook the spring part to his ear. He pondered it briefly, before lifting it up and hooking it to his ear.

_FZZZ-schhh-_

The second the weird hissing sound hit Prompto's ear, he shot up into a standing position, tore the small metal object away from his ear, and tossed it down to the floor. It hit the ground with a clamoring 'tink!' sound, and skittered halfway across the room.

"Prompto?"

Noctis' voice barely registered on Prompto's radar, because he was still too stunned by what he'd just seen. He stared, blinking, down at the small metal object, and he couldn't help but notice that the green spot was lit up now. Prompto's body was tense as he walked toward where it landed, crouched down, and scooped it up.

Once again, Noctis called his attention. "Are you okay?"

Prompto snapped his attention from the small object, up to Noctis, and he struggled to find a way to answer. Was he okay? "Y-yeah, I'm... I'm fine. This thing just... it's weird. It... I put it on my ear and it made this really weird noise and..." And Prompto couldn't deny an urge to put it on again, because he hadn't left it on long enough to see if that noise led to anything. He stared back at the object, the green light capturing his attention, almost like a beacon telling him that it was okay.

"What kind of noise?" Noctis asked.

Honestly, Prompto wasn't even sure if he could copy the sound. It sounded unnatural, which made sense since it came from a tiny piece of metal. "It was high pitched," he started. "And hissing, like... when a cat gets mad or an angry snake or something? But before that there was a buzzing sound... like a bee. Only it was higher pitched. I don't know what it was, but..."

Noctis just looked at him, inquisitive.

"I kinda want to try again. What if something happens after the noise? I wouldn't know, 'cause I didn't try, and-"

With a nod, Noctis said, "you're curious. It's okay. You can try it again if you wanna. If anything weird happens, I'll take it out and we can destroy it or something, maybe?" He smiled as he crossed the short space between them and looked at the weird metal thing in Prompto's hand.

Sure, Prompto had only known Noctis for a really short time, but something about him seemed really trustworthy. He was nice, he was supportive, and he shared Prompto's weird interest in the Ancient Ones and their ruins. Not to mention the fact that he was putting his safety at risk by even _talking_ to Prompto. What wasn't to trust? Noctis probably didn't understand how big of a deal Prompto's willingness to make himself vulnerable was, but he was willing. It was the only way he could satisfy his curiosity, and he had a feeling Noctis would let him down if things went south.

Prompto nodded, more confidently than he expected to be able to, and brought the device back to his ear. After a deep breath, he closed his eyes tight and hooked the loop back into place.

_FZZZ-schhh-PING!_

He tensed, and he didn't open his eyes right away, half-expecting some kind of physical pain, or maybe that he'd even die right on the spot. So far, he didn't feel different. His body felt the same, and the sound went away completely. There was no residual hissing, nothing else to make him suspect that he was in any danger.

In fact, the next sound he heard was Noctis' nervous voice asking, "P-Prompto? Are you okay?"

Slowly, hesitantly, Prompto loosened the tension in his body. Only when he'd loosened up completely did he open his eyes, and when he did, all the tension sprang back into his body like it never went away. The whole room, save for Noctis, looked _completely_ different now. All the dead panels sprang to life, displaying purple, blue, and red lights. Some of them even displayed flashing red runes of Ancient Ones text. All Prompto could do was stare, blank-faced, at exactly how _different_ the room looked all lit up like that. It was the most beautiful and fascinating thing he'd ever seen in his life. The only thing in the room that looked exactly the same as it had before was Noctis.

Well, aside from the fact that Noctis looked incredibly concerned. "Prompto?"

"I-I'm fine, I just..." Prompto paused, then trailed off. How did he even explain what he was seeing? He could only think of one way.

Quickly, he pulled the metal device from his ear—he was instantly shocked when all of the lights disappeared back into deactivated darkness—and reached over to slide it onto Noctis' ear. As Prompto watched for a reaction, he could almost identify the moment all the changes registered. Noctis' eyes widened, and his jaw fell slightly slack as he looked around the room.

After a few false starts, when he tried to talk but no sound came out, Noctis finally said, "What _is_ this?"

Prompto shrugged, looking around at the completely blank panels and darkened lights, which moments ago had lit the whole room in a purple and blue glow. He could only imagine Noctis was seeing that very glow at the moment, if the shock on his face when Prompto looked back at him was any indication. "I don't know," he answered. "But you can only see it with that thing on."

"Wow," Noctis breathed, pulling the device from his ear and looking around the room again. "What is... how did it _do_ that?" he asked as he offered it back out to Prompto.

Prompto was surprised that Noctis was offering it back, but he took it and immediately put it back on his ear. This time he didn't close his eyes. Instead, he watched, blinking in amazement every single time a new light blinked on. "I-" he stammered at first, still a little surprised by the sudden lights and colors. Finally, he found his words enough to answer. "I... I don't know."

"Can you tell what any of this stuff is?" Noctis asked, gesturing around them.

Even though he didn't gesture at anything in particular, Prompto could tell he meant the weird lights. Prompto shook his head as he looked around the room. Some of them had those Ancient One runes, the words he couldn't understand. Others were just swirling or blocky masses of purple and red. None of them really meant anything to Prompto, other than just being another question in his head about the Ancient Ones. One particular light did grab his attention, though. A circle of blue light on a far wall, connected to what looked to be a door.

Prompto approached the door quietly, but paused and turned when he heard Noctis' footsteps behind him. He gave a soft and nervous smile, then turned around and continued toward the door. The blue circle called his attention. As he looked closer, he spotted a red line at the bottom of the blue circle and chewed on his lower lip as he thought of what that might mean. It didn't seem to be moving, but just because it wasn't moving didn't mean that it had no use. Prompto hummed softly to himself, then reached up to touch the blue circle. As soon as his fingertips came into contact with the red line, it illuminated a little brighter.

"What's happening?" Noctis asked.

Pushing out a quick breath of laughter, Prompto tried to come up with an easy answer to the question. He didn't know what he was doing, but he had a feeling: "I think... I'm unlocking this door."

As soon as he finished speaking, Prompto moved the red line at the bottom of the circle around to the top. His feeling was quickly proven correct as the red line completely faded, the blue circle swirled around, and then the door opened slowly. Rust kept it from moving too quickly, and also showered down on top of Noctis and Prompto, but the door finally opened completely, revealing a hallway on the other side, with a gradual slope to the sunlight in the distance.

A way out!

"Hey, I think we can get out this way!"

Noctis nodded and smiled. "But first, I think we should both grab some of these artifacts! Whether we sell 'em or keep 'em, I think we should take some home with us!"

Oh! Right! Prompto had been so distracted by the weird little device that he'd completely forgotten about all the other artifacts around them. He'd have to hide them from Cor, or else he'd be in huge trouble, but Noctis was right. He definitely wanted to bring some of them home with him. After that, though... it was definitely time for Prompto to go home. It was probably getting late, and they'd been down in the ruin for a long time, which meant Cor would probably be mad when he got home... but maybe coming home with the meat would make him a little less mad.

The pair of them each grabbed as many artifacts as they could easily carry—Prompto grabbed more than Noctis, because Noctis only had pockets while Prompto had a whole pouch in his pack—and then left through the door Prompto opened and climbed the slope to the exit. They were really close to where they'd fallen into the hole. It was about a hundred feet or so to the east, Prompto noticed as he turned to look around him. The device worked a little differently outside, Prompto noticed. As he looked around, he spotted things he'd never seen before. He saw parts in robots that could be used as weaknesses, as well as how dangerous the robots were. He saw things on the ground, ones he never would've seen before. It seemed like a whole new world, and it made him smile to himself.

He turned to Noctis. "I grabbed some of the stuff you said you wanted. You know, the stuff you said you couldn't carry?"

"Oh..." Noctis smiled. "Thanks, but I... don't know how I'll be able to get it home..."

An awkward silence blanketed them for a moment, and Prompto frowned. This was probably goodbye, wasn't it? Noctis wasn't supposed to talk to him, Prompto wasn't really supposed to talk to Noctis either, and both Noctis' dad and Cor would be really mad if they ever found out they were talking, so...

Noctis halted his thoughts completely, though. "But, I mean... you could hold onto it for me for now, yeah? And maybe I can come out tomorrow, or next week, probably, since Loqi probably got me grounded. So... maybe we can meet somewhere and you can give it to me?" he asked.

To say Prompto was surprised was an understatement, but he bit his lip and nodded. "I mean... if you want to, yeah. Are you sure you want to risk getting in trouble to-"

"I want to," Noctis insisted.

Prompto smiled a little bit wider. "O-okay," he stuttered. "Maybe we can meet here in the morning in a week, then? We can look around down there and see if we can find one of these things for you, too."

Noctis smiled and rushed up to Prompto, hugging him gently around the shoulders. "Thanks," he mumbled against Prompto's shoulder. "For helping me and for making that whole thing a lot more fun that it probably would've been with Loqi." He laughed, then let his arms fall back to his sides.

"Thank _you_ ," Prompto answered, "for not being scared of me..."

As they backed away from each other, neither seeming to want to turn and walk away, Noctis called, "I'll see you here next week, right?"

Prompto nodded. "Next week!"

When Prompto finally turned his back on Noctis and started to walk back to his house, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe he should've been more upset with the situation; maybe he should've been mad at Loqi for throwing him into that ruin, but he wasn't. He couldn't be. If Loqi hadn't pushed him, Prompto wouldn't have gotten all the cool stuff he'd found. If Loqi hadn't pushed him... he wouldn't have made a friend. His smile grew even wider as he thought of Noctis, and he took one last glance over his shoulder to see Noctis looking back his way, too. They exchanged a final wave before going their separate ways, leaving Prompto with full and complete confidence in seeing Noctis again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Part One of what's going to be a super fun story! I hope you guys are as psyched as I am! ♥

**Author's Note:**

> FIND ME!  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/lizibabbles) ;; [tumblr](http://lizibabbles.tumblr.com/)


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